Identity. Beauty. Pain

Introducing Dr. L. Ayu Saraswati: A Feminist Trailblazer Shaping the Intersection of Pain, Feminism, and Power

Ladies and gentlemen, tonight, we have the privilege of welcoming a force of intellect and inspiration to our conversation: Dr. L. Ayu Saraswati. An award-winning author, celebrated academic, and groundbreaking thinker, Dr. Saraswati brings an unparalleled depth of expertise to the fields of women, gender, and sexuality studies.

With a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, College Park, and an illustrious career as a professor at the University of Hawaiʻi, Dr. Saraswati has become a global voice for understanding the intricate relationships between beauty, race, pain, and feminist activism. Her powerful books, such as Seeing Beauty, Sensing Race in Transnational Indonesia—winner of the Gloria Anzaldúa Book Award—and Scarred: A Feminist Journey Through Pain, which swept multiple prestigious awards, offer transformative insights into how we experience the world and ourselves.

Dr. Saraswati’s impact extends far beyond the classroom. She is a sought-after speaker, consultant, and board member for influential journals like Women’s Studies Quarterly and Biography. Her work has been celebrated in The Economist, Vogue Australia, and Ms. Magazine, among others, and has left a lasting mark on feminist scholarship, with her work named one of Meridians journal’s most impactful pieces of the past 20 years.

From her innovative explorations of the neoliberal selfie to her critical reflections on transnational beauty and pain, Dr. Saraswati challenges us to rethink the narratives we live by and the identities we embody. Join us as we dive into the cutting-edge ideas of a thought leader who is as fearless as she is insightful.